Gold: Faraday Discussion 152

The chemistry of gold was once relatively undeveloped, but this is no longer the case. The observation that gold, when sub-divided to the nanoscale, can be exceptionally active as a catalyst, has spurred a great number of discoveries. Gold now fascinates material scientists, catalysis, surface and synthetic chemists and theore

Gold: Faraday Discussion 1524 - 6 July 2011
Cardiff, UK

Gold has been a topic that has fascinated mankind for millennia. It is the most noble of metals; it does not tarnish on exposure to air. However, until recently, gold has presented very little fascination for chemists, as its chemical inertness as a bulk metal appeared to provide very limited opportunities to open up new and exciting chemistries.

The chemistry of gold was once relatively undeveloped, but this is no longer the case. The observation that gold, when sub-divided to the nanoscale, can be exceptionally active as a catalyst, has spurred a great number of discoveries. Gold now fascinates material scientists, catalysis, surface and synthetic chemists and theoreticians in great numbers.